Sergio Pettis calls out UFC 221 winner Jussier Formiga

Despite being stifled on the mat in his most recent bout, Sergio Pettis wants a fight against one of the best grapplers in the flyweight division next.

Pettis (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has called for a matchup against Jussier Formiga (21-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC), who is coming off a third-round submission of Ben Nguyen this past Saturday at UFC 221, which took place at Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

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Here's that spinning backfist that Jussier Formiga used to floor Ben Nguyen at UFC 221

“The Phenom” took to social media to congratulate the Brazilian on his win, then asked to fight him (via Instagram):

Congrats Jussier Formiga on your performance this past weekend. But what’s good let’s set this up.

Pettis, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 218 in December. A victory would have likely set him up for a title shot at 125 pounds, but Pettis was neutralized by Cejudo’s wrestling over three rounds and couldn’t get the job done.

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Prior to the loss, the 24-year-old Pettis was riding a four-fight winning streak. He hasn’t succumbed to a submission in a fight since his first pro loss in January 2014, and it appears Pettis wants to see where his skills stand against a dangerous grappling threat like No. 7-ranked Formiga.

Pettis and Formiga were scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 103 in January 2017, but Formiga withdrew due to an ankle injury.